David Larson

Artist Statement

Create, create, create. Build something, anything that did not exist before you put your hand to it. There are far more than enough people in this world that live to destroy and tear down. Leave your mark of beauty on this planet, and I will leave mine.

Biography

Artist's Bio
I have been drawing or painting ever since I can remember. As a child I used to steal the carboard out of my father's new white shirts and draw Warner Brother cartoon characters on them. Right out of high school I began my 40+ year career as an Air Traffic Controller, and, as with most career driven people, my art took a distant second place. I continued to create when I could, and developed a deep love for cross hatch pen and ink. Then depth and emotion I could produce by simply changing the space between lines, or by the number of cross directions, was fascinating to me. Naturally, all of my art work during that time was aviation centered, and I submitted my portfolio to the founders of the American Society of Aviation Artists, (they are the group that painted all of the wall murals in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC). I was accepted as an artist member of that society in 1999.
Shortly after I retired from Air Traffic, I cut the center two fingers off my dominant hand, and rendered the index finger useless in a construction accident. I was devastated. With time available now I was able to pursue my two greatest passions; art and writing, then suddenly, I couldn't paint, or type, and I fell into a deep depression. After wallowing around in a giant vat of self-pity I tried to paint again, but my hand would cramp up so bad I couldn't hold a brush for long. After a year or two of Olympic level moping I tried painting monotone portraits on the walls in my home. Because of the lower level of detail compared to what I had been doing I was able to finish what I started.
I find the human face and body fascinating on so many levels. I left aviation in my wake and focused on portrait type art, and have developed my original monotone work into what I have here. When the price of artist supplies and canvas sky rocketed recently, I started painting on Luan ply I can buy at Home Depot, braced by poplar. Ironically, I cut the Luan to size with the same Skill Saw I cut my fingers off with in 2016.

Exhibition History (CV)